Panorama-Puppy farms

The absolutely most important thing is to never buy a puppy that is not socialised indoors, isn't with his Mum and Dad, and is clearly a commodity.

The lengths the dealers go to are extraordinary, even moving a pedigree bitch into their home along with the puppies (not hers) to reassure the buyer that they are genuine. When the pups are told the dog is returned to the puppy farm owner and more puppies and another bitch are imported and advertised. It's horrific.

Sorry -sold not told

What horrified me most was that these places were approved and certified. Did the inspectors wear blindfolds

Nothing will change . I worked for the Dogs Trust ,then the NCDL, the News of The World worked with them, a photographer would come here when I found puppy farms, we went in as prospective puppy buyers and he took photographs . It was as bad then, some new laws were made regarding licensing etc, made no difference . The bitches are kept in buildings , bred from twice a year untill they are exhausted , then sold for about twenty pounds or shot. The puppies are sold far too young, they are transported in vans and car boots , meet up's are arranged in service stations or lay by. I hold the kennel club partly responsible , Crufts should stop, people see cute dogs, can't afford the prices KC registered breeders charge so search the Internet or go to pet shops , they can buy a puppy for at least four to five hundred pounds less

Horrific and so upsetting. But nothing will change until STUPID PEOPLE stop buying cheaper puppies without insisting on making the necessary checks and following all the guidelines, and seeing the puppies at home with the mother.

Makes me so sad and so angry too.

Anniebach I so admire you. Seeing them on TV was bad enough, actually going in to a puppy farm must be a nightmare. I'd heard of them of course but never imagined they could be as horrible as that.

trisher, sorry to tell you they are worse than shown on Panorama , I have seen bitches with their wombs protruding from their bottoms . If lucky they die before they have completed their puppy producing years .

I still search them out where I can , so many tricks played, even a puppy viewed in a house with it's mother may be a front, not it's mother and not born in that house

Granjura , the majority are not stupid, guidelines given are stupid . People are not aware of the horrors in these farms . The puppies on panorama were lucky compared to puppies and bitches I have seen . Watch a bitch in such discomfort she can hardly walk, lies in straw soaked urine yet is still mated even if she has to be held up .

All pet shops should be banned from selling puppies , registered breeders is a load of rubbish, OK a litter may be registered but how many unregistered litters have been bred from the same bitch

May I suggest , if buying a pup , ask the name of the vet and see the vet, if the bitch hasn't been checked by the vet through her pregnancy , the puppies not checked then do not buy.

Ask where the sold of the litter are, say you would love contact with the puppies siblings , ask lots of questions,

Cross breeds are now 'so in' the care in mating the bitch can be nil care , you will not see the dog and he could have health problems

Check the breeder with the breeds association

But being honest, the bitch puppy if not sold will be used for breeding

Until there is a change in the law all the above will not stop the breeders , because puppies mean money

If you are concerned about anything contact the Dogs Trust

Thanks Anniebach I will do so. Do you know if anyone has ever been prosecuted for puppy farming and what the penalties are?

Yes trisha, several have been prosecuted but by the RSPCA I remembered one who served a few months , some banned for a period of time and fined, the new head of this charity has said they are not going to carry out so many prosecutions, he referred to a case they brought re a fox hunt but I am worried they will cut back on all prosecutions . We the public must do what we can to stop cruelty to animals , report , protest, write to councils, if you can stomach it and have a day free go check on puppies advertised , but take care, do not criticise the conditions to the seller , grit your teeth and say how sweet the puppies are - hold back the tears until you leave the premises , and you will cry

Petition to stop the trade on the RSPCA website.
www.rspca.org.uk/getinvolved/campaign/dogownership/puppytrade

Go through the Kennel Club accredited breeders site.

I didn't see this programme but have read a lot about these disgusting places. I watched How to Choose the right Puppy for You with Kate Humble instead.
Excellent programmes covering everything you need to know about buying a puppy, questions to ask, certificates of health to check and so on. Lots of information about different breeds and which would be suitable for different families. If everybody wanting a dog followed these guidelines the puppy farms would soon be out of business.

I can't agree sorry, whilst puppies are sold for hundreds of pounds more than puppies from puppy farms then people will buy from puppy farms . Registered breeders are in it for the money too . They price their puppies far higher because they are limited to the number of litters they can breed and register so want to make as much as much as possible whilst they can.

I admit I have little time for the kennel club , they set out height , length of each breed, nature doesn't work that way and I believe they are going against nature

I know where you are coming from annie, but when we bought our Cairn we were at a loss where to look. So we researched the breed and potential problems, then researched the breeders of Cairns. We then went around and visited a few potential breeders from addresses in the Kennel Club. Last of all we ensured that the puppy had a clean bill of health regarding any potential genetic problems by the breeders vet.

Yes I know that the Kennel club has a lot to answer but honestly we didn't know how else to be sure that the dogs were from good and caring homes. Ours definitely was, with The puppy's dad living with the breeder and his mum living with the breeders mother. We saw the litter in the home with their bitch who on the day of visiting was sunning herself at the back door step and Dad we visited on the same day, two doors up the road. The breeder shows her dogs, and sells pups, yes it is a business but a far cry from puppy farming.

Just to say we have ended up with a robust, healthy and balanced dog.

I do understand whitewave and there is little choice , my grievance with the KC is the demand for perfection and I have no time for dog shows . My brother has a crufts winner , the two dogs are adored , will not be used for breeding but what goes on at these shows is so wrong. Not unheard of to glue behind a dogs ears if they do not straighten when expected to, they don't remained glued up but for a period of time, if not they cannot be shown, plus there have been KC registered breeders charged with cruelty, not many but it happens .

I am so pleased you have a healthy Cairn, they are lovely dogs, I am terrier mad, have owned ten . A sweet woman who worked on a dog bereavement line with me once said - there are dogs and there are terriers

Can't agree more about the Breed standards and the resultant suffering of some dogs. There should be a required DOG standard - like muzzle length, head size length of back etc. One that ensure all the severe difficulties dogs are suffering disappear for ever.

I applaud programmes like this and Kate Humble's too. At least it is shining light into a dark corner of the dog breeding world. I think Watchdog also investigated puppy farms and highlighted how devious these people can be by showing perspective buyers the puppy in a ' home' setting.